Summer Classes End This Week

Thousands of SHSU students are expected return to Huntsville within the next few weeks for the fall semester, which will begin on Aug. 25.

Final exams for the second summer session will be held Aug. 7, and the semester will officially end on Aug. 11. Residence halls will close at noon on Aug. 7.

Approximately 897 degrees are expected to be conferred during the summer commencement ceremonies on Aug. 9, at 10 a.m. for the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Criminal Justice and Humanities and Social Sciences and at 2 p.m. for the colleges of Business Administration and Education, in the Johnson Coliseum.

The guest speaker for the ceremonies will be former Texas Secretary of State and former Atlanta Brave Roger Williams.

Residence halls will open for occupancy for the fall at 11 a.m. on Aug. 21.

Theatre, Dance To Host Second Scholarship Tourney

The Sam Houston State University Department of Theatre and Dance will “golf for green” on Sept. 6 during its second annual scholarship “fun/fundraiser” at the Elkins Lake Golf Course.

The tournament schedule includes registration at 8 a.m. and a shotgun scramble start at 9 a.m. Lunch, prizes and awards are scheduled for 1 p.m.

Pat Camfield, general manager of Wiesner of Huntsville, is offering "Hole in One Prizes" for four par-3 holes, including a seven-day cruise, bag of golf clubs, a $500 pro-shop credit and a grand prize car.

The entry fee of $450 per four-person team, or $125 for individual players, includes all fees and a number of extras. Team sponsorships of $450 will also be accepted to allow theatre and dance students to play in the event.

Hole sponsorships are $100, which provides a hole sponsor sign at the tee box of each hole.

Team and hole sponsors will be recognized at all of the fall 2008 and spring 2009 University Theatre Center programs.

The second annual Golfin’ for Green Scholarship Fun/Fundraiser will replace the fall gala, held annually at the University Theatre Center.

For more information, call Kim Childress at 936.294.1329 or Poncho Roberts at 936.291.0057.

Workshop To Identify Students’ ‘Types’

SHSU psychology graduate students will teach students how to communicate based on 16 different personality types on Wednesday (July 30).

"What's Your Personality Type?" will be held from 4-5 p.m. in the Career Services Library.

During the interactive workshop, participants will take a test to determine their personality type to get a better understanding of issues associated with their “type,” according to Megan Moorman, Career Services graduate assistant and one of the presenters.

“It is a benefit for students to know how they communicate based on their personality type so they are better prepared for the workplace,” Moorman said. “Knowing this information can help in many aspects of communicating, such as conflict resolution and fair fighting.”

Sororities To Recruit For Fall Semester

SHSU’s Panhellenic Association is seeking incoming freshmen, upperclassmen and transfer students who would like to be a part of the university's Greek life during its annual recruitment Aug. 15-17.

"Becoming a part of a sorority is a rewarding experience that alters your life in so many positive ways, from making friends for life to gaining knowledgeable leadership skills to having the opportunity to better your community," said Brandon Cooper, Student Activities manager who serves as an adviser to the council.

"These groups have members that are involved in various groups including student government, program council, the honors program, cheerleader and dance teams, Orange Keys and the SHSU theater and dance programs, just to name a few," Cooper said.

The registration fee is $100 until Aug. 1 and $110 after that date. The registration fee includes hotel accommodations for three days and three nights, transportation to and from recruitment parties, group events and recruitment operation costs. The registration deadline is Aug. 12.

‘Strange’ Exhibit Features Art Prof’s Work

The “Perfectly Strange” works of an SHSU art professor are now on display in an exhibit in Corpus Christi.

The show, featuring the art of SHSU assistant professor Matthew Guest and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi graduate Curtis Miller, will be on display through Aug. 30 at the K Space Contemporary gallery, where Guest also serves as director.

While the works in the exhibit “create visual narratives that include conjured characters and events that reveal personal questions and reflections,” the overall themes of these works are in direct contrast, according to Elizabeth Reese, an art and museum consultant who detailed the exhibit in a Corpus Christi Caller-Times article.

Guest says he has an attraction to gore which appear to be congested and violent “at first glance,” Reese said.

“These particular paintings can be difficult to view and interpret,” she said. “Upon closer examination and reflection they serve to remind us that much of what occurs at any given moment on any day of the week in our world can be challenging—if not disturbing and shocking—to view, experience and absorb.”

Conversely, Miller’s silkscreen monotypes “are sublime and meditative,” while “elements that make up Miller's multimedia works” are “charged with a quiet mystery.”

“Similar to how we can view our own daily challenges and decisions we must make without anticipation, Miller considers the end result a gift,” Reese said.

Located at 415 D Starr St. in Corpus Christi, K Space Contemporary is an artist operated, non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and promoting contemporary art to South Texas.

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and admission is free for all exhibits, according to its Web site.

Organization Names Nelson President-Elect

Her term of office as president-elect began on July 1, and she will serve as president from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010.

The TCA is a chapter of the American Counseling Association and is respected as one of the leading chapters in that organization, according to Nelson.

In preparation for next year's leadership role, Nelson said she will attend all of TCA's board and senate meetings and lobby days, as well as the ACA Legislative Institute and the ACA Annual Conference.

With approximately 32 local chapters and 13 divisions or special interest groups, TCA has a membership base of 6,000 and is growing.

This year's TCA Annual Professional Growth Conference will be held in the Houston Westin Galleria Hotel from Nov. 5-8.

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Physics Gives Four Final Glimpses Of Summer ‘Colors’

The physics department will continue to bring some “color” into its planetarium series program with “The Colors of Summer” and feature presentation “The Cowboy Astronomer” on Tuesday (July 29).

The program, which shows attendees which constellations, stars and planets they can expect to see in the upcoming weeks, will be held at 2 p.m. in the planetarium, located in Farrington Building Room 102.

The tour will point out and discuss the colors of the stars in such constellations as Cygnus, Lyra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, according to Michael Prokosch, staff aide for the physics department.

In addition, cowboy humorist and poet Baxter Black will give colorful commentary on the Big Dipper, Orion and Pegasus, helping “the viewer explore the stars from a cowboy's point of view,” as the narrator for “The Cowboy Astronomer” presentation, Prokosch said.

The planetarium seats up to 29 visitors and includes a dome that is approximately 18 feet in diameter and more than 20 feet high in the center.

“Essentially a time machine, the planetarium's projector can show how the night sky appears to an observer at any point in time from any place on the earth, from 100,000 years in the past, to 100,000 years into the future,” he said.

The entire program will last approximately an hour and fifteen minutes.

Admission is free, and a visitor's parking pass can be obtained at the Visitor and Alumni Center for the parking lot near the Farrington Building.

The final summer series showings will be presented Aug. 8, Aug. 15 and Aug. 29.

All Tuesday programs will be held at 2 p.m., and Friday programs will be held at 7 p.m. An additional 2 p.m. showing will also be held on Aug. 15.

Brian Domitrovic, assistant professor of history, appeared on Book TV (C-SPAN) May 1-2, speaking about his recent book "Econoclasts: The Rebels Sparked the Supply Side Revolution and Restored American Prosperity" (www.econoclasts.net).

Houston Chronicle education writer Jeannie Kever recently turned to Regents Professor of English Paul Ruffin for his views on university presses moving toward "digital books" as opposed to traditional ink-on-paper."We're fulfilling the ancient role of the university press, and that is to produce books," said Paul Ruffin, the Texas poet laureate for 2009 and director of the Texas Review Press at Sam Houston State University. "I don't want to give up the book because it is an art."